The South Redford School District is coming under fire from Redford Union administrators, parents and school board members over what they term a lack of transparency in preliminary efforts to see if the two districts should combine.

In February, South Redford was awarded a $150,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Education to study the feasibility of a possible merger. The accounting firm Plante Moran and law firm Miller Canfield were subsequently hired by South Redford to conduct the study, which will likely be completed by the end of this month.

Redford Union officials say they’ve been left out of any discussions and did not have input about what firms were hired to conduct the feasibility study.

“We have numerous concerns about a ‘merger,’ starting with the process, the lack of transparency, and the seeming unwillingness of South Redford to communicate with Redford Union directly,” Redford Union School Board President Jennifer Kurland said in a statement. “Because of this, our board has been unable to answer the numerous questions brought to us by our constituents.”

Redford Union Superintendent Dr. Sarena Shivers agreed.

“Since the outcome of the study and purposed annexation would impact the entire township … RU should have been asked to work shoulder to shoulder with South Redford every step of the way,” she said.

South Redford’s School Board responded to the charges, describing Plante Moran and Miller Canfield as neutral third parties. The board said the firms are charged with finding out if a combined district makes sense fiscally and legally.

“Once the feasibility study is complete, the information and data will be presented to both school boards as well as the public in order to help voters make a well-informed decision regarding combining the districts,” the South Redford Board wrote in a statement to the Redford Observer. “Only the voters of Redford Township have the power to decide if there should be one or two school districts in Redford Township.”

Besides the feasibility study, any combining of the districts likely hinges on an amendment to Michigan’s educational budget proposed by State Sen. David Knezek. The amendment would change the funding formula for unified school districts.

The current formula uses a weighted average of the two districts plus 100. Knezek’s amendment would take the higher of the two districts’ foundation grants plus $100.

Redford Union currently receives a foundation allowance of $7,391 per pupil while South Redford gets $7,915. The new funding formula would provide a unified district $8,015.00 per pupil.

Currently, lawmakers from the state house and senate are hammering out details of the budget. In the past, an agreement has been reached and the governor sign the budget into law by about the first week of June.

Knezek’s amendment must survive the process. If it does, Redford Union parents want to make sure their voices are heard on any possible combining of the districts. They also believe money shouldn’t be the primary motivation for such a move.

“They’re only looking at the finances and buildings,” said Shauna Beaubien, who has three children in Redford Union schools. “They’re not looking to improve academics either way.”